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Opposition

Saturn at Opposition

Saturn lies opposite the Sun in our sky — closest to Earth, brightest, and visible all night in Pisces.

Your local time

21 Sept 2025, 10:59

Universal time

21 Sept 2025, 05:29 UTC

Time since

Partially visible from New Delhi, IndiaNaked EyeVisible worldwide where sky conditions allow

At opposition Saturn is directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth. It rises at sunset, is highest around local midnight and sets at sunrise. This is also close to its minimum distance from Earth, so the planet appears at its largest and brightest for the year — the best time to observe it with a telescope.

Observation details

Visibility
Partially visible
Best viewing time
21 Sept 2025, 00:29
Direction to look
NW · azimuth 320°
Altitude at peak
-57.9°
Equipment
Naked Eye
Distance from Earth
8.547 AU
Apparent magnitude
0.5
Constellation
Pisces

The event's peak happens below your horizon, but the same part of the sky reaches 58° later in the night.

New Delhi, India

28.6139°, 77.2090° · default location

Photography & observing tips

  • Observe when the planet is highest, near local midnight, to look through the least atmosphere.
  • Let a telescope cool to ambient temperature for 30 minutes before high-magnification viewing.
  • Planetary imaging works best by recording short video and stacking the sharpest frames.

Other opposition events

The nearest occurrences before and after this one.